G8-Background

The program called Interdisciplinary Program on Material Efficiency – A first step towards sustainable manufacturing was launched by the G8 Research Councils including Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the French National Research Agency (ANR), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), the Research Councils of the United Kingdom (RCUK), and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

The program is:

To support excellent research on topics of global relevance best tackled through a multinational approach, recognizing that global challenges need global solutions.

To aim to support collaborations between experts in research areas related to the global challenge of materials efficiency to address “replacement of scarce and expensive elements, notably those critical for energy applications”.

To support interdisciplinary projects with the potential of creating a step change in the approach taken towards the sustainable use of material resources and the contribution and impact.

To emphasize the potential future role of manufacturing in supporting a sustainable global economy, and encompasses all parts of the materials hierarchy.